tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64315422018-05-29T02:18:18.656-04:00Ukraine, Russia, Europe, the US, Oh My!And if it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium...windownoreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-7761472783368877462008-01-16T00:21:00.001-05:002008-01-16T07:52:19.773-05:00Ukraine asks to join NATO membership action plan<span style="font-family:arial;">KIEV,</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian leaders have signed a statement asking to join the NATO membership action plan at the forthcoming NATO summit in Bucharest, visiting U.S. senator Richard Lugar said here Tuesday. </span><p face="arial"></p>"Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Parliamentary Chairman Arseniy Yatsenyuk have signed the statement calling for consideration on Ukraine's entry into the NATO membership action plan at the Bucharest summit," Lugar said. <p style="font-family: arial;"> "The president (Viktor Yushchenko) told me about the news this morning," he added.<br /></p><p face="arial">Lugar pointed out that the Ukrainian leader's move would stir up discussions in society on the issue of Ukraine's entry into the NATO, which may soon result in holding a referendum on this problem. </p><p style="font-family: arial;"><span id="Zoom"> "Yushchenko asked U.S. president and other NATO members for supporting Ukraine's efforts on joining the NATO membership action plan at the Bucharest summit," Lugar said.</span></p>windownoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-48202154732636061252007-08-27T16:27:00.000-04:002007-08-27T16:27:40.884-04:00Do they think the world is stupid!?!I have not posted in God knows how long but this made me sick:<br /><a href="http://euronews.net/index.php?page=info&amp;article=439476&amp;lng=1">EuroNewsEuroNews : Chechen-led group arrested for Russian journalist's murder</a>windownoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1154787613254916502006-08-05T10:14:00.000-04:002006-08-05T10:20:13.323-04:00Enough SaidFrom <a href="http://maidan.org.ua">Maidan: <img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/400/razomkankr400.jpg" border="0" /></a>windownoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1152554607001818692006-07-10T14:00:00.000-04:002006-07-10T14:52:53.403-04:00Приходьте до Верховної Ради України у вівторок, 11.07.06 на 9.30<span style="font-family:arial;">As per maidan.org:</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">ТРЕБА ВСТАТИ І ВИЙТИ!<br /><br />Громадянине! Українцю!<br /><br />Півтора роки тому ми вийшли на Майдан, на сотні Майданів по всій Україні, вимагаючи правди, свободи і справедливості. Тоді ми думали, що перемогли: перемогли кучмізм, перемогли фальсифікаторів, перемогли бандитів. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Але залишилася незмінною злочинна Система, побудована на брехні, корупції, беззаконні, використанні влади заради грошей, а не заради інтересів людей. Система, що перемелює слабких людей, що потрапляють в її лещата, на негідників, Система, що приводить до влади нечесних, безпринципних, а часом просто злочинців та зрадників. Система, що пригнічує гідність людини, нехтує права і свободи. Система, яка ставить перед нами вибір – або ми зруйнуємо її, або вона закреслить наше майбутнє, майбутнє наших дітей, майбутнє України. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Якщо ти, незалежно від віку, професії, мови, етнічного походження, тощо хочеш бути вільним громадянином вільної правової держави, а не безголосим підданим олігархічного паханату, якщо ти хочеш жити в Європі, а не на сірому постсовєцькому просторі – вічній сфері чужих інтересів, якщо ти вважаєш порушення закону злочином, непрозорі підкилимні домовленості політиків – брехнею, то ми з тобою однієї крови! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Натхненні немічністю та пасивністю теперішнього керівництва, ті самі сили, котрих ми перемогли у 2004, сьогодні планують продовжити “дєрібан” України. Ми маємо їх зупинити. Ми скажемо їм, що ми про них думаємо і чого ми вимагаємо від тих, хто нашою волею прийшов до влади внаслідок Помаранчевої революції.<br /><br />МИ ВИМАГАЄМО:<br /><br />- Невідкладного формування дієздатного складу Конституційного Суду України – у термін не пізніше кінця липня 2006 року. Невиконання цієї вимоги Верховною Радою у будь-якій конфігурації ми розцінюватимемо як узурпацію влади.<br /><br />- Негайного формування “Нашою Україною” та Блоком Юлії Тимошенко єдиного блоку - жорсткої опозиції до регіонально-комуно-соціалістичної влади – на засадах спільних підходів до ключових питань державної політики та очищення від колаборантів, задля перемоги на чергових чи позачергових парламентських виборах.<br /><br />- Об’єднання у широкому громадянсько-політичному русі всіх українських демократичних сил, створення центрального та регіональних штабів за участи громадян, що не зрадили ідеали Майдану – для системної протидії комунобандитському реваншу.<br /><br />- Виконання Президентом України Віктором Ющенком своїх функцій гаранта Конституції щодо унеможливлення формування виконавчої гілки влади нелегітимним шляхом.<br /><br />- Розпуску Верховної Ради України у разі, коли новий уряд не буде сформовано вчасно та у суворій відповідності з Конституцією України та регламентом Верховної Ради.<br /><br />Ми нікому не дозволимо порушувати наші права, свободи і інтереси. Ми нікому не дозволимо порушувати закон. Ми нікому не дозволимо торгувати Україною!<br />Всі, для кого Вільна Україна – святі слова; хто має за справу честі боротьбу за правду, свободу, справедливість, власну гідність – <b>приходьте до Верховної Ради України у вівторок, 11.07.06 на 9.30.</b> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Ми не “помаранчеві”. Наші кольори – синій і жовтий. Пов’яжи на ознаку громадянської солідарності синьо-жовту стрічку.<br /><br />НАС БАГАТО – НАС НЕ ПОДОЛАТИ!<br />СЛАВА УКРАЇНІ!<br /><br />Альянс "Майдан"<br /><br />------------<br />Увага! Тут відповіді на питання "Що Робити!" в умовах політичної кризи в Україні.<br /><br />Крок 1. Розповсюдьте скрізь, де тільки можете, ці заклики на мітинг на вівторок:<br /><br />ТРЕБА ВСТАТИ І ВИЙТИ! (укр)<br />http://maidanua.org/static/viol/1152476229.html<br /><br />НАДО ВСТАТЬ И ВЫЙТИ! (рос)<br />http://maidanua.org/static/viol/1152476180.html<br /><br />Кияни! Приходьте на 9:30 до Верховоної Ради всі!<br /><br /><br />Крок 2. Розповсюдьте текст цього звернення<br />http://maidanua.org/static/mai/1152491637.html<br />серед знайомих політиків, депутатів, журналістів.<br />Вихід є! І хай про це знають всі! </span>windownoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1139972848114893242006-02-14T20:25:00.000-05:002006-02-15T00:36:03.530-05:00What on earth are the Nashi thinking???It seems that someone in the Nasha Ukraina election team has a perverse sense of humor. <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/1600/proff.1.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Proffesor Zvarych" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/400/proff.0.jpg" border="0" /></a>How else to explain the following headline on their <a href="http://razom.org.ua/">site</a>: <em>"Regions introduce 'Proffesorial style' of thinking"</em> paired with a picture of Proffesor 2 - Roman Zvarych. Clearly the campaign must believe that the voters will slap their thighs with appreciative laughter, "Things can't be that bad if the Nashi can laugh at themselves..."<br /><br />For that matter, this perverse sense of humor can be seen all over Kyiv in their billboards: "<em>Do Not Betray the Maidan!</em>" Check out Petro Rodiak's <a href="http://www.rondiak.com/blog/billboards/">election 2006 billboard collection</a> and see for yourself. The reaction elicited by these ads is understandably bemused, to say the least. After all, some Kyivites say, who stood in that freezing weather for all that time? Who is the betrayer and who is the betrayed? One is left to wonder if these billboards are the best way to get Yuschenko's message across to the electorate.<br /><br />Yanukovych, on the other hand, has a well thought out campaign. He is certainly playing on the post revolution disillusionment. In fact, his tv ads exacerbate that disillusionment. Clips of people speaking about how difficult life has become.<br /><p align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/1600/Partia_Rehioniv%20001_0005.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 252px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 202px" height="225" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/320/Partia_Rehioniv%20001_0005.jpg" width="292" border="0" /></a></p>Fade to black: <em>How much more must we endure?</em> is titled on screen.<br /><p align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/1600/Partia_Rehioniv%20001_0002.1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px" height="200" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/320/Partia_Rehioniv%20001_0002.1.jpg" width="279" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br />Next comes blinding light and the light is of course Yanukovych. And the titles state: <em>Your life will improve TODAY!</em>. <br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/1600/Partia_Rehioniv%20001_0003.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 251px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 191px" height="204" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/320/Partia_Rehioniv%20001_0003.jpg" width="280" border="0" /></a></p>The Nashi tv ads? They attempt to somehow play on the emotions of the Maidan. The ads feel tired.<br /><p align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/1600/Nasha_Ukraina%20001%20001_0002.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="206" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/320/Nasha_Ukraina%20001%20001_0002.jpg" width="256" border="0" /></a></p>And show nothing new. They talk about how you the voter wanted change. Couldn't take the corruption anymore.<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/1600/Nasha_Ukraina%20001%20002_0003.0.jpg"></a> Came out on the Maidan.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/1600/Nasha_Ukraina%20001%20002_0006.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="223" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/320/Nasha_Ukraina%20001%20002_0006.jpg" width="274" border="0" /></a></p><br />And then, when they show Poroshenko, you can't help but cringe.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/1600/Nasha_Ukraina%20001_0001.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="211" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/320/Nasha_Ukraina%20001_0001.jpg" width="280" border="0" /></a></p><p align="left">Is all of this deliberate on someone's part inside Nasha or are they just dumb?</p>windownoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1138564123565703062006-01-29T13:56:00.001-05:002006-01-29T15:12:50.986-05:00Heroes of Kruty Street<span style="font-family:verdana;">The Maidan kids took it upon themselves to rename Moskovsky St to Heroes of Kruty St. in honor of the the young students who, without support, defended the city of Kyiv from the Russian onslaught in 1918. The <a href="http://maidan.org.ua/static/news/1138538774.html">Maidanivtsi</a>, as they call themselves, pasted the following over Moscowski St. signs on buildings:</span><br /><br /><div align="center"><table border="2"><tbody><tr><br /><td width="100%"><br /><p align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><strong><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:180%;color:#000099;">Вулиці повинні носити імена тих, хто захищав<br />Український народ, а не тих, хто його знищував!<br /></span><em><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><s><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#000099;">вул.Московська</span></s></span></em></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000099;">ВУЛ. ГЕРОЇВ<br />КРУТ</span></em></span></div><div align="center"><em><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000099;"></span></em></div><div align="center"><em><span style="font-size:7;color:#000099;"></span></em></div><div align="center"><strong><em><span style="color:#000099;">(Streets should be named in honor of those who defended the nation, not for those who tried to destroy it!</span></strong><span style="color:#000099;"> </span></em></div></strong></span><div align="center"><strong><em><span style="color:#000099;"><s>Moskovski St.</s><br />Heroes of Kruty St.)</span> <span style="font-size:78%;color:#333399;"><br />[trans.-window]</span> <p><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></p></em></strong></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;">Good for them! Even if the street was historically named Moskovski because it led out from the city to Moscow, there is no reason for it to continue to carry the name. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;">Now if they could do something about the abomination, the Lenin statue, on the corner of Khreshchatyk and Blvd. Shevchenko...</span></p>windownoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1137008714059170652006-01-11T13:00:00.000-05:002006-01-11T14:51:58.576-05:00Don't like orange? Too bad!<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/1600/yuschenko%20putin%20jan2006.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 250px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 180px" height="195" alt="is it orange? you decide. photo - Reuters" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/320/yuschenko%20putin%20jan2006.jpg" width="277" border="0" /></a>At his meeting with Putin today, Yuschenko appears to be wearing an orange tie. It may, in fact, not be orange. Yesterday's tie was 'in your face,' 'so, you wanna make something of it' orange. There was no mistaking the color. Today's tie, I'm not so sure. Perhaps it is salmon, a delicate blend of rose and orange. Or another such fashionable color. In any case, if it's not orange, it is certainly close enough to suggest the <em>idea</em> of orange.<br /><br />Now the idea of orange certainly brings to mind the revolution, suggests standing up to Russia and pokes Putin in the eye. It's always fun to do that, that is, poke Putin in the eye. And with what's been going on these last few days, it helps Yuschenko to appear to be the one doing the poking. Makes him look strong, leaderlike and like the true defender of Ukraine's national interests. No doubt, Yuschenko's handlers believe so.windownoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1136913897773674452006-01-10T09:41:00.000-05:002006-01-10T12:24:57.820-05:00Another Fine Mess - Ukrainian Gov't Sacked - Legal Chaos?<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/1600/yekhanurov.0.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="So, is he or isn't he the PM?" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/320/yekhanurov.0.jpg" border="0" /></a>The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's Parliament sacked Yekhanurov's government but now there's no way to appoint a new one...<br /><br />According to Serhiy Holovatyi, Ukraine's Justice Minister, the constitutional reform deal that came into effect on January 1, set the stage for politicians pushing <a href="http://en.rian.ru/world/20060110/42925586.html">"the country into legal chaos."</a><br /><br />Legal advisor to Yuschenko, Mykola Polud'oney explained to <a href="http://pravda.com.ua/news/2006/1/10/37432.htm">Ukrainiinska Pravda</a> that the problem arises because the provisions allowing the VR to fire the gov't have come into effect but a mechanism which provide for the appointment of a new one has not yet been approved.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the Guardian is reporting that Yekhanurov told reporters that the sacking was nonbinding. Further, he said that his government would continue working until at least March when a newly elected parliament will appoint a new cabinet.<br /><br />As for the President's reaction, Yuschenko's travelling again and he's in Astana, Kazakhstan. He stated that Parliament acted unconstitutionally and illegally and therefore, he may have no recourse but to disband the Verkhovna Rada. Additionally, according to the <a href="http://www.president.gov.ua/news/data/1_5413.html">Presidential press service</a>, Yuschenko will take the VR's vote before Ukraine's Constitutional Court. In their release, they quote Yuschenko as stating that the government is not an 'acting gov't' but rather it is an actual gov't, and that legally nothing has changed: «Хочу підкреслити, вони не виконуватимуть обов’язки, а працюватимуть як прем’єр-міністр і як міністри Кабінету Міністрів». «Ні політично, ні у правовому полі ситуація в Україні не змінилася»<br /><br />My, what fun awaits us all! Lawsuits, electioneering, campaigning, fist pounding...windownoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1136667198936464522006-01-07T14:50:00.000-05:002006-01-07T22:15:47.483-05:00Христос Рождається — Славімо Його!<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/1600/vertep11.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="photo.unian.net" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/320/vertep11.jpg" border="0" /></a>Вінчую Вам нині усі добрі люди<br />Нехай Божа поміч завжди з Вами буде.<br />Нехай тої днини, кожної<a href="http://photo.unian.net/ukr/photo/small/4575.jpg"></a> години,<br />Бог благословить, біда хай загине.<br /><br />Маленький Ісусик не спить, не дрімає,<br />Своїми рученятами весь світ обіймає.<br />І вашу хатину, і вашу родину,<br />І всю Україну – Христос ся рождає!<br /><br /><div align="left">* * *</div><div align="left"></div>Blessings to you on this day good people<br />Let the God's help always with you be.<br />On this day, every hour<br />Let God bless, let misfortune perish.<br /><br />Baby Jesus sleeps not, dreams not,<br />With his little hands, he embraces the world.<br />And your home, and your family,<br />And all of Ukraine - Christ is born!windownoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1136566969179921072006-01-06T11:57:00.000-05:002006-01-06T12:02:49.193-05:00Agreement Between Naftohaz and Gazprom (English)Text published by Ukrainska Pravda, 5 January 2006<br /><a href="http://www2.pravda.com.ua/news/2006/1/5/37345.htm">http://www2.pravda.com.ua/news/2006/1/5/37345.htm</a><br /><br />[Translated into English by Olga Bogatyrenko for <a href="http://www.ukrainianstudies.uottawa.ca/orange.html">UKL</a>]<br /><br /><br />Agreement Regulating Relations in the Gas Sphere<br />Moscow, 4 January 2006<br /><br />The open joint stock company (OAO) "Gazprom" (Russian Federation), subsequently referred to as Gazprom, represented by Management Chairman A. B. Miller acting by the Statute, on the one Side,<br /><br />The National joint stock company "Naftohaz of Ukraine (Ukraine), subsequently referred to as Naftogaz of Ukraine, represented by Management Chairman O. G. Ivchenko, acting by the Statute, on the other Side,<br /><br />And the Company "RosUkrEnergo" (Switzerland), subsequently referred to as RosUkrEnergo, represented by Executive Directors O. A. Pal'chikov and K. A. Chuichenko, acting by the Constitutive Agreement,<br /><br />Referred all together as the Parties,<br /><br />Seeking to reach a mutually beneficial agreement on the regulation of relations in the gas sphere, have worked out the present Agreement, agreeing on the following:<br /><br />1. The Parties agree that the price of transit of natural gas, which belongs to Gazprom (Ltd. Gazexport) and RosUkrEnergo, across the territory of Ukraine and the Russian Federation is to be set at US $1.60 per 1000 cubic meters per each 100 km of transit until 01.01.2011.<br />2. The Parties appoint RosUkrEnergo as the supplier of natural gas to Ukraine. Starting from 1 January 2006, Gazprom does not supply Russian natural gas to Ukraine and Naftohaz of Ukraine does not export natural gas that arrives from the Russian Federation.<br />3. Naftohaz of Ukraine and RosUkrEnergo are to found a joint venture on the basis of cash deposits and other assets as soon as possible and not later than 1 February 2006 in order to provide Russian natural gas for consumption at Ukraine's domestic market.<br />4. The Parties are to work out necessary agreements/contracts (and are to assure working out of necessary agreements/contracts) creating, starting from 1 January 2006, the commodity balance of gas of company RosUkrEnergo to cover the following volumes:<br />Purchases:<br /><br />- 41 billion cubic meters of Turkmen gas that is to be purchased from Ltd. Gazexport and Naftogaz of Ukraine, which is at their disposal.<br />- Up to 7 billion cubic meters of Uzbek gas that is to be purchased from Ltd. Gazexport in order to, specifically, swap existing gas deliveries in the South Caucasus.<br />- Up to 8 billion cubic meters of Kazakh gas that is to be purchased from Ltd. Gazexport in order to, specifically, swap existing gas deliveries in the South Caucasus.<br />- Up to 17 billion cubic meters of Russian gas that is to be purchased from OAO Gazprom at the price determined by the formula based on the base price of gas (Ro= US $230 per 1000 cubic meters).<br /><br />On sales:<br />- In 2006, 34 billion cubic meters of gas to be sold at the price of US $95 per 1000 cubic meters of gas, which is valid for the first six months of 2006 to the joint venture created in accordance with point 3 of the present Agreement (until the joint venture is created, until 1 February 2006 to be sold to Naftogaz) for the subsequent sale for consumption in Ukraine's domestic market without re-export rights.<br />- Starting from 2007, up to 58 billion cubic meters of gas to be sold to the joint venture created in accordance with point 3 of the present Agreement for subsequent sale for consumption in Ukraine's domestic market without re-export rights.<br />- 15 billion cubic meters of gas to be forwarded for export for joint programs with Gazprom.<br /><br />5. The rate of pay for transit and the price of natural gas determined by the present Agreement can be changed only by mutual agreement of the Parties.<br /><br />Addresses of the Parties<br /><br />OAO Gazprom: 16, Nametkin Str, Moscow, Russia, 117997<br />NJSC Naftohaz of Ukraine: 6, Bogdan Khmelnitsky St., Kyiv, 01001<br />Company RosUkrEnergo A": 7 Bahnhoffstrasse, Zug, Switzerland<br /><br />Signed by:<br />A. B. Miller on behalf of OAO Gazprom<br />A. G. Ivchenko on behalf of NJSC Naftohaz of Ukraine<br />O. A. Pal'chikov, K. A. Chuichenko on behalf of Company RosUkrEnergo AGwindownoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1136390071389316702006-01-04T10:16:00.000-05:002006-01-04T11:18:08.976-05:00Murky Gas Deal - Murky Gas CompanySo, they struck a deal... No more barter, that is cash is paid, both for gas and for transit. The previous deal was gas for transit. RosUkrEnergo is not only the middleman but the exclusive supplier of gas to Ukraine.<br /><br />Ivchenko via <a href="http://www.s95451559.onlinehome.us/1a/">Abdymok.net</a> :<br /><blockquote>we shall be buying gas of different origins, both russian and central asian, from the rosukrenergo company. the price of gas will be 95 us dollars per 1,000 cu.m. at the russian-ukrainian border. i want to add that the price of gas and<br />the transit rate are not linked because we shall be paying money for gas and gazprom will be paying us money for the transit of russian gas to europe. the transit rate has been raised from 1.09 to 1.6 dollars per 1,000 cu.m. of gas per 100 km.</blockquote><br /><br />About former SBU head Turchynov beginning an investigation of RosUkrEnergo from a Kyiv Post article reprinted on <a href="http://blog.kievukraine.info/2005/06/sbu-launches-criminal-investigation-in.html">Kiev Ukraine News Blog</a> via <a href="http://vkhokhl.blogspot.com">Neeka's Backlog</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>The State Security Service (SBU) has launched probes into alleged violations by gas trading firms that allegedly siphoned more than a billion dollars from state coffers when they worked as intermediaries handling Turkmen gas supplies to Ukraine.<br /><br />SBU chief Oleksandr Turchinov told the Post on June 17 that an investigation has been launched into the activities of Swiss-registered RosUkrenergo and intermediaries that handled Turkmen gas supplies to Ukraine in previous years.<br /><br />Like its predecessors, RosUkrEnergo acts as an intermediary in transiting gas from Turkmenistan across Russia and other former Soviet states to the Ukrainian border. Its shareholder structure remains a bit cloudy.Company officials have said that affiliates of Russian gas giant Gazprom and Austria’s Raiffeisen Investment AG own parity 50/50 stakes in the venture.Turchinov told the Post that Raiffeisen Investment AG, according to his information, acts as a nominal shareholder representing private interests of individuals whom he declined to name for fear of revealing inner workings of the investigation.<br /><br />Turchinov said RosUkrEnergo, a company which has an annual turnover of more than a billion dollars, could not have been created without the approval of the most influential people in Russia and Ukraine. Severe infringements were discovered in the company’s dealings, he said, adding that such schemes involve siphoning of funds which should have flowed into the state budget, rather than having been diverted into private hands.<br /><br />A RosUkrEnergo top manager revealed to the Post in an interview last week that Raiffeisen Investment’s role in RosUkrEnergo was bound to contractual arrangements with Ukrainian clients, which he could not identify...<br /><br /></blockquote><br />To round it all out the deal story in a nutshell from Dow Jones:<br /><blockquote><p>GAZPROM: RUSSIA, UKRAINE REACH GAS DEAL FOR 2006<br />Greg Walters,<br />Dow Jones Newswires<br />Moscow, Russia,<br />Wednesday, January 4, 2006<br /><br />MOSCOW -- Russia and Ukraine Wednesday announced a 2006 gas deal aimed at breaking a stalemate that had choked off supplies to Ukraine and other European countries over the last several days.Under the agreement, state gas monopoly OAO Gazprom(GSPBEX.RS) will sell gas to its 50%-owned trading company RosUkrEnergo at $230 per 1,000 cubic meters. The trading company, which will also buy Central Asian gas at a much lower price, will then sell gas to Ukraine at $95 per 1,000 cubic meters, less than half the price Russia has recently demanded.The parties also agreed that Russia will now pay cash for the transit of gas across Ukraine. Previously, Russia paid in gas.<br /><br />The price for transporting gas through Ukraine to Europe rose under the deal to $1.60 for 1,000 cubic meters traveling through 100 kilometers of pipeline, from $1.09.Under the deal, reached at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday morning between the heads of Gazprom and Ukrainian gas distributor Naftogaz, gas exports from Turkmenistan will be purchased by RosUkrEnergo and re-sold to Ukraine, a person familiar with the situation told Dow Jones Newswires. The person didn't say how much Turkmenistan gas will be sold to RosUkrEnergo or at what price.Gazprom had previously contracted 30 billion cubic meters of gas from Turkmenistan at a price of $65 per 1,000 cubic meters.<br /><br />Ukraine also agreed to pay cash for Russian gas in the future. Previously it took gas in trade for transport. A Gazprom spokesman said the five-year contract foresees prices fluctuating according to world prices. Under the deal, "RosUkrEnergo, is the exclusive gas exporter to Ukraine" said, Gazprom spokesmen Sergei Kupriyanov.Russia Sunday triggered a gas supply crisis in Europe when it cut off exports to Ukraine after its neighbor rejected a price hike to $230 per 1,000 cubic meters, more than four times what it had been paying. </p><p>More than 80% of Russia's gas supply to Europe travels across Ukraine. Shortly after Russia cut off Ukraine's supplies, France, Italy and a number of other European countries reported a sharp fall off in gas deliveries from Russia. Russia Tuesday increased supplies to make up for the shortfall.The deal appears to be a complex face-saving agreement that still allows Gazprom to keep the $230 price it has insisted upon, while allowing Ukraine to pay less than half that amount.<br /></p></blockquote><br /><br />Now it's time to figure out who's going be making the big bucks.windownoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1136349225154819582006-01-03T23:07:00.000-05:002006-01-03T23:46:48.566-05:00Russia Acts Illegally OR What Else is New?!?Former economic advisor to Putin, Andrey Illarionov, who resigned on December 27 because of 'differences of opinion on economic policy,' in an interview aired on Jan. 02 on <em>Ekho Moskvy</em> and quoted by BBC Monitoring Services said Gazprom had no right to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine on 1 January because an earlier agreement with importer Naftohaz Ukrayiny made it impossible for Gazprom to force a price rise to 230 dollars per 1,000 cubic metres.<br /><br />Illariovov: <blockquote>"Today's prices, 50 dollars per 1,000 cu. m., were set by a supplementary agreement to a contract between Gazprom and Naftohaz [Ukrayiny] which was signed on 8 August 2004. The contract, according to the text of the supplementary agreement, is to be in effect for five years, up to 2009. The supplementary agreement states that the price of 50 dollars per 1,000 cu. m. is fixed. For those who don't fully understand the meaning of the Russian word fixed, it says two lines further down that these prices are not changeable." </blockquote><br /><br />Ukraine is willing to negotiate increased rates but is not willing to submit to political and economic blackmail. And as <a href="http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,393358,00.html">Spiegel</a> put it: <blockquote>The current mood in Ukraine could likely be best described with the slogan: "We would rather freeze than give in." </blockquote>windownoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1136219237836832552006-01-02T11:11:00.000-05:002006-01-02T12:43:17.406-05:00Ukraine MFA: Russia's "Irresponsible and destabilizing actions"Reacting to Russia's illegal cut-off of gas supplies to the EU and Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine released a statement charging Russia with "violating its contractual obligations... to Ukraine and EU member-states"<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mfa.gov.ua/mfa/ua/news/detail/1476.htm">The statement in Ukrainian can be found here.</a> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/1600/r1827379389.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 248px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 159px" height="199" alt="Pipes and a pressure gauge are pictured at a Ukrainian main pipeline in the village of Boyarka near the capital Kiev January 2, 2006 -photo-Reuters" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/320/r1827379389.jpg" width="285" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Below is an unofficial translation:<br /><br /><em>January 1, 2006<br />STATEMENT OF THE MFA OF UKRAINE ON COOPERATION IN GAS SPHERE<br /><br />On the first day of 2006, the Russian Side, violating its contractual obligations started to decrease the volume of gas supply to Ukraine and EU member-states.<br /><br />In such a way, a scenario was launched, with the aim to exert economic pressure, blackmail, and, ultimately, destabilize the Ukrainian economy and disrupt Russia's gas supplies to consumers in EU countries.<br /><br />Aforementioned irresponsible and destabilizing actions are put into practice in spite of current international obligations of the Russian Side, undertaken in compliance with the Agreement of October 4, 2001, as well as in spite of compromise proposals, put forward on December 30, 2005 by the President of Ukraine in his letter to the President of the Russian Federation, and notwithstanding cautions concerning the peril of such steps for the atmosphere in relations between Ukraine and Russia, and their perception by the Ukrainian society.<br /><br />The Russian Side rejected all concrete proposals on prices and tariffs, submitted by the Ukrainian delegation during the negotiations in Moscow on December 27-30, obstinately insisting on the so-called "market" price of $ 230 for 1000 cubic metres of gas. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Side was ready to agree upon gradual transition to market methods of cooperation in gas sphere.<br /><br />Furthermore, Moscow "did not hear" the proposal of the President of Ukraine in regard of declaring a moratorium on changing prices and tariffs before accomplishing talks that were suggested to be held with the participation of international experts during the first ten days of January 2006. Finally, the Russian Side rejected the official commentary, submitted to the Russian Federation on December 31, 2005, in a note of the MFA of Ukraine. The document clearly substantiated the validity of the position of the Ukrainian Side based on current contractual obligations of the Parties. The regrettable facts of demonstrative neglect of the contract in force and decreasing the volume of gas supply display the existence of certain forces in Moscow that spur the country on the way of unpredictability and blackmailing in regard of consumers in all countries.<br /><br />The intimidations sounded by the statement of the MFA of the Russian Federation of January 1, 2006, are merely intended for poorly informed Russian citizens, lulled by bridled analysts and controlled mass-media. Politicians and societies of Ukraine, EU countries and the US are perfectly aware of the fact that, in compliance with the current contract of 2002 and with the Supplement ?4 to this contract of August 9, 2004, Russian companies are obliged to supply gas to Ukraine on a fixed terms in order to ensure the transit of Russian gas via Ukrainian territory to the EU member-states and other countries.<br /><br />Ukrainian Side is ready to prove consistently the validity and fairness of its position by all means, including through the international arbitration. We consider the possibility of an appeal to nuclear states - the guarantors of Ukraine's national security according to the Memorandum of 1994 - in order to apply the mechanism of consultations.<br /><br />Irresponsible and destabilizing actions of certain forces in Moscow that apparently do not even inform their own authorities about the actual state of affairs, threaten with undermining the image of Russia as a reliable partner in energy sphere in the very year of its chairing in G-8, as well as with considerable losses for Russian taxpayers, who will have to pay off the doubtful financial consequences of such a policy. Hence, it is easy to predict, how the North-European gas pipeline will be used.<br /><br />Thereupon, the MFA of Ukraine is authorized to state the following:<br /><br />1. Ukrainian Side insists on the transition to market principles of cooperation in gas sphere and on introduction since January 1, 2006 of prices for gas supplies and tariffs for its transit in compliance with European pricing methods.<br /><br />2. We suggest both delegations to renew the negotiation process involving international experts.<br /><br />3. We propose to set a moratorium on non-market methods of settling existing disagreements.<br /><br />4. Ukraine will proceed with its efforts to remain a reliable transporter of Russian gas to the EU member-states and other countries in accordance with the contracts in force, even though the fulfilment of our obligations will be carried out at the expense of the own gas resources that are not supplied by Russia for this purpose. At the moment, the energy security of the gas consuming states is seriously threatened and no country could be excluded in this context. All this requires coordinated efforts of natural gas producing, transporting and consuming states and that is what Ukraine urges for.<br /><br />January 1, 2006</em>windownoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1136172324956250872006-01-01T22:22:00.000-05:002006-01-01T22:25:24.970-05:00Overheard in Kyiv Supermarket<span style="font-family:arial;">"Sorry, all we have is Russian mustard."</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">"No thanks. I don't buy Russian."</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Other customers laugh, "Neither do we!"</span>windownoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1136090113004637872005-12-31T22:55:00.000-05:002005-12-31T23:42:50.136-05:00Boycott Russian Goods!<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/1600/rus2.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/320/rus2.jpg" border="0" /></a> Yuschenko:<br />``Why does Turkey pay $100 per thousand cubic meters, the Baltic countries pay $110, the Caucasus pays $100, and Ukraine, which is Russia's closest neighbor, must pay $230?''<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://zeus.zeit.de/text/online/2006/01/russland_ukraine">Michael Thumann in <em>Die Zeit</em> from 29 December 2005 answers:</a><br /><blockquote>Yushchenko annoys the Russians in a variety of ways. The emphasis on independence (which many Russians find difficult to accept), the substantially democratic conditions in the country, the striving to join the West, the advances to the EU - all this is not consistent with the rules of behaviour that the Kremlin to this day prescribes for its onetime satellites. But Moscow is especially sensitive about the negotiations between Kyiv and Washington over a closer co-operation with NATO, leading to membership. And NATO is the picture of the enemy, no matter how many agreements have been signed to calm Russia.<br /><br />The natural gas account gives Vladimir Putin a perfect method to apply pressure, by means of which the Ukrainians are to be stopped from forming close ties to the West. Stay away from NATO in exchange for a slow rise in the gas price - wouldn't that be a deal? And in case the regime in Kyiv doesn't give in, it will eventually fall on its own over the energy prices and their consequences. Gazprom's pricing is the continuation of the Kremlin's politics by other means... The example of Ukraine should teach caution to all of Europe.<br /></blockquote><br />The above illustration (via <a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/khoma/29228.html">http://www.livejournal.com/users/khoma/29228.html</a> ) is part of a drive to boycott Russian goods as a result of Russia's gas blackmail. Spread the word - Don't buy Russian goods! And to the G7 - Are you on drugs.... G8?!? Russia chairing?!? Come on people - wake up and smell the gas!windownoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1134959974221796272005-12-18T21:26:00.000-05:002005-12-18T21:39:34.243-05:00Yuschenko Election List<span style="font-family:arial;">Interesting to note that Zvarych is higher on the list than Poroshenko who is higher than Tretyakov.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Виборчий список блоку Ющенка<br />1. Єхануров Юрій - Прем'єр-міністр України</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2. Кінах Анатолій - голова Ради Нацбезпеки і оборони</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">3. Тарасюк Борис - міністр закордонних справ України, голова Народного Руху України</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">4. Герасимюк Ольга - продюсер телеканалу 1+1, телеведуча</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">5. Лижичко Руслана - співачка</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">6. Кириленко В'ячеслав - віце-прем'єр з гуманітарних питань</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">7. Ляпіна Ксенія - народний депутат, голова Ради підприємсців при КМУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">8. Катеринчук Микола - народний депутат, екс-голова податкової міліції</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">9. Князевич Руслан - член Центральної виборчої комісії</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">10. Григорович Лілія - народний депутат</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">11. Стретович Володимир - народний депутат, голова Християнсько-демократичної партії</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">12. Матвієнко Анатолій - екс-Прем'єр Криму, голова УРП "Собор"</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">13. Оніщук Микола - народний депутат, ПППУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">14 Танюк Лесь - народний депутат, НРУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">15. Беспалий Борис - народний депутат, постійний представник уряду у ВР</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">16. Ключковський Юрій - народний депутат, представник Президента у ВР</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">17. Куйбіда Василь - народний депутат, Керівник апарату ЦП НРУ, екс-мер Львова</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">18. Оробець Юрій - народний депутат</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">19. Білозір Оксана - народний депутат, екс-міністр культури</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">20. Майко Віталій - народний депутат із "ЗаЄдУ", зараз ПППУ, гендиректор Київського державного заводу "Буревісник"</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">21. Мартиненко Микола - народний депутат, голова парламентської фракції НУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">22. Павленко Юрій - міністр молоді та спорту</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">23. Безсмертний Роман - голова Ради партії НСНУ, екс-віце-прем'єр</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">24. Коваль Вячеслав - народний депутат, НРУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">25. Івченко Олексій - голова НАК Нафтогаз України, лідер КУН</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">26. Зварич Роман - екс-міністр юстиції</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">27. Прокопович Наталя - керівник Центру інституційного розвитку</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">28. Довгий Станіслав - народний депутат із "За ЄдУ", зараз ПППУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">29. Черновецький Леонід - народний депутат, лідер ХЛП (?), "Посольство Боже" і так далі</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">30. Гірник Євген - народний депутат, мажоритарник (Івано-Франківська обл), НУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">31. Удовенко Геннадій - народний депутат, НРУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">32. Поляченко Володимир - президент "Київміськбуду"</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">33. Порошенко Петро - екс-голова РНБОУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">34. Шпиг Федір - банкир, колишній власник банку "Аваль", народний депутат, мажоритарник, "НУ"</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">35. Левченко Катерина - відомий правозахисник із Харкова, провідний борець з експортом повій, тобто з торгівлею людьми (центр "Ла Страда - Україна")</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">36. Гуреєв Василь - народний депутат ПППУ, екс-міністр</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">37. Бондар Олександр - заступник голови ФДМУ, УРП "Собор"</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">38. Марущенко Володимир - заступник голови ХДС</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">39. Лановий Володимир - радник Президента України, екс-віце-прем'єр, академік, НРУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">40. Ющенко Петро - народний депутат, брат Президента</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">41. Третяков Олександр - екс-перший помічник Президента, бізнесмен</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">42. Полянчич Михайло - народний депутат (Наша Україна, Тернопільська обл)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">43. Головатий Сергій - міністр юстиції, вихідець із БЮТ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">44. Волков Олександр - відомий баскетболіст</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">45. Джемільов Мустафа - народний депутат, НРУ, лідер Меджлісу кримськотатарського народу</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">46. Мойсик Володимир - народний депута, вихідець із УНП</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">47. Кучеренко Олексій - голова Державного комітету з питань житлово-комунального господарства</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">48. Вязівський Володимир - керівник виконкому ЛОО НСНУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">49. Жебрівський Павло - голова Житомирської обласної державної адменестрації</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">50. Келестин Валерій - народний депутат, вихідець із УНП</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">51. Чорноволенко Олександр - народний депутат, НРУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">52. Гнатенко Лев - народний депутат, ПППУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">53. Одайник Микола - депутат-мажоритарник (Вінницька область), НУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">54. Король Віктор - депутат (НСНУ), екс-начальник податкової тощо</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">55. Артеменко Юрій - екс-голова Запорізької ОДА</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">56. Аржевітін Станіслав - власник банку "Ажіо"</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">57. Борисов Валерій - заступник голови КМДА</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">58. Горошкевич Олександр - депутат 3 скликання від ПЗУ, кандидат від "Жінок за майбутнє", зараз - неясно</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">59. Кендзьор Ярослав - голова ЛОО НРУ, народний депутат</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">60. Заплатинський Володимир - народний депутат, обраний за списком СДПУ(о), зараз ПППУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">61. Омельченко Олександр - син київського мера, народний депутат</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">62. Яковина Микола - УРП "Собор"</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">63. Ружицький Антон - народний депутат, НСНУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">64. Довгий Тарас - народний депутат, НСНУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">65. Зейналов Едуард - голова Кіровоградської ОДА, діловий партнер Третьякова</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">66. Федун Олексій - екс-президент телеканалу СТБ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">67. Гуменюк Олег - народний депутат, мажоритарник (Тернопільска область), НСНУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">68. Степанов Геннадій - народний депутат, ПППУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">69. Жванія Давид - екс-міністр надзвичайних справ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">70. Лопушанський Андрій - 1-й заступник голови НАК Нафтогаз</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">71. Кріль Ігор - екс-голова Закарпатської ДПА</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">72. Карпук Володимир - заступник голови Волинської ОДА</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">73. Чубаров Рефат - заступник голови Меджлісу, народний депутат (НРУ)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">74. Сокирко Микола - народний депутат, НСНУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">75. Богашева Наталія - помічник народного депутата</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">76. Тополов Віктор - міністр вугільної промисловості </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">77. Шкрібляк Анатолій - екс-"Нова Генерація", заступник голови Івано-Франківської ОДА</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">78. Круць Микола - народний депутат (НСНУ), власник "Івано-Франківськцементу"</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">79. Шкутяк Зіновій - мер Івано-Франківська</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">80. Сташевський Станіслав - перший віце-прем'єр</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">81. Поживанов Михайло - народний депутат, НРУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">82. Бичков Сергій - народний депутат (НСНУ, раніше "Центр"), Дніпропетровська область, пов'язаний із групою "Приват"</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">83. Скляр Володимир - невідомий</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">84. Козаченко Олексій - народний депутат, НСНУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">85. Лещенко Віктор - голова Харківської ОО ПППУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">86. Кульчинський Микола - народний депутат, НСНУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">87. Фіалковський Володимир - народний депутат, мажоритарник (Херсонська обл), НСНУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">88. Давимука Степан - народний депутат, НРУ, екс-голова регіонального відділення ФДМУ Львівської обл</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">89. Довбенко Михайло - УРП "Собор", директор Інституту відкритої політики</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">90. Бойко Олег - керівник юридичного управління НСНУ, співробітник Катеринчука в адвокатській конторі "Моор і Кросондович"</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">91. Цехмістренко Віталій - народний депутат, НСНУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">92. Шульга Володимир - невідомий93. Гаврилюк Іван - народний депутат (мажоритарник, Львівщина, ПРП), актор</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">94. Дерев'янко Юрій - невідомий</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">95. Швець Микола - хочеться вірити, що НЕ голова Дніпропетровської облради; треба дізнатись точно</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">96. Костинюк Богдан - народний депутат, НСНУ</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">97. Ющенко Ярослав - заступник голови Харківської ОДА, племінник Президента</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">98. Жоголєв Володимир - голова правління. ВАТ "Лисичанськийзавод гумовотехнічних виробів</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">99. Поліщук Микола - екс-міністр охорони здоров'я</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">100. Атрощенко Владислав - екс-голова Чернігівської ОДА</span>windownoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1133904809841873952005-12-06T16:17:00.000-05:002005-12-06T16:33:29.853-05:00Wow! $227 per sec!<span style="font-family:arial;">So the race for the Vekhovna Rada is on. We can expect, noise, hoopla and commercials, commercials, commercials. Once upon a time, say back in 1994, when independent Ukraine's first elections to the Parliament were held, nothing, except for a few clever public service announcements aired on Ukrainian television. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Now, we'll hopefully be entertained, or more likely, annoyed by a deluge of political advertising. And how much will it cost the Parties to get their messages out to the hapless voters, you ask? According to </span><a href="http://en.for-ua.com/news/2005/12/05/180937.html"><span style="font-family:arial;">forUm</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> here's the breakdown:</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1+1 Channel - $227 per sec<br />M1 (music channel) - $92<br />Inter Channel - $90.2<br />Novy Channel - $34<br />UT-1 - $20.8<br />The 5th Channel – $21<br />NTN - $14.5 (VAT is not included)<br />ICTV - $14<br />STB - $13.8<br />TRK Ukraina - $13<br />TET - $10 (taxes are not included)<br />OTV - $8.4<br />TRK Era - $7.2 (taxes are not included)<br />Tonis Channel - $7 (taxes are not included)<br /></span>windownoreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1133538634288491562005-12-02T10:02:00.000-05:002005-12-02T10:50:34.350-05:00To Save the State - Save the NationMore on the Presidential Hearings held on Monday.<br /><br />An excerpt from Oksana Zabushko's speech:<br /><br /><blockquote><em>Але найбільша загроза 14 років нашого культурного колоніалізму – не<br />“зовнішня”, а “внутрішня”: в цих умовах неможлива ні національна<br />консолідація, ні витворення політичної нації. Позбавлений доступу до знання в найширшому сенсі, український громадянин не може й знати, чим йому пишатися, – почуття, без якого не буває повноцінного громадянства. Не маючи доступу до власної культурної спадщини (жодного зібрання творів класики за 14 років, жодного музею, який би відповідав сучасним вимогам, і т.д.), вкрай погано знаючи історію і минулу, і біжучу (приклад – медіальна презентація Майдану), ніколи не чувши імен тих, хто складає славу національного пантеону, позбавлений загальнонаціональних інформаційних інститутів громадянської спільноти (без друкованого органу, аналогічного до “Figaro”, “Spiegel” чи “New Yorker”, неможлива консолідація освіченої верстви в масштабі всієї країни), - одне слово, без культурної ідентичности - український тубілець залишить своїх племінних вождів бавитися скальпами політичних противників – і вигравати вибори не в діалозі з власним народом, а в шахових партіях із політтехнологами іноземних держав.</em><br /></blockquote><br />You can read her entire speech <a href="http://doktryna.civicua.org/files/1133265554205/zabuzhko.doc">here.</a><br />The rest <a href="http://doktryna.civicua.org/docs/analytics.html">here.</a><br /><br />The working resolutions and decisions are <a href="http://doktryna.civicua.org/docs/rishennya.html">here</a>.windownoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1133495934198695662005-12-01T22:46:00.000-05:002005-12-01T22:58:54.213-05:00Ukrainian Book of the YearThe BBC Ukrainian Service is asking its listeners to vote for the Ukrainian Book of the year. And the nominees are:<br /><br /><blockquote><p>1.Іван Андрусяк "<em>Вургун</em>"<br />2.Юрій Андрухович "<em>Центрально-східна ревізія</em>"<br />3."<em>Антологія українського самвидаву</em>"<br />4.Володимир Аренев "<em>Дикi володарi</em>"<br />5.Юрій Винничук "<em>Весняні ігри в осінніх садах</em>"<br />6.Павло Вольвач "<em>Кляса</em>"<br />7.Лариса Денисенко "<em>Забавки із плоті і крові</em>"<br />8.Лариса Денисенко "<em>Кавовий присмак кориці</em>"<br />9."<em>День і вічність Джеймса Мейса</em>" - під ред. Івшиної<br />10.Любко Дереш "Культ"11.Володимир Діброва "<em>Довкола столу</em>"<br />12.Анатолій Дністровий "<em>Пацики</em>"<br />13.Яна Дубинянська "<em>Козли</em>"<br />14.Яна Дубинянська "<em>Сходовий майданчик</em>"<br />15.Сергій Жадан "<em>Анархія в Україні</em>"<br />16.Оксана Забужко "<em>Друга спроба</em>"<br />17.Оксана Забужко "<em>Let My People Go: 15 текстів про українську<br />революцію</em>"<br />18.Юрій Іздрик "<em>АМTM</em>"<br />19.Олександр Ірванець "<em>Рівне/Ровно</em>"<br />20.Ірена Карпа "<em>50 хвилин трави</em>"<br />21.Ірена Карпа "<em>Фройд би плакав</em>"<br />22.Андрій Кокотюха "<em>Повзе змія</em>"<br />23.Валерій, Наталія Лапікури "<em>Вилов бандюг по-науковому</em>"<br />24.Валерій, Наталія Лапікури "<em>Поїзд, що зник</em>"<br />25.Олеся Мамчич <em>"Перекотиболе</em>"<br />26.Марія Матіос "<em>Солодка Даруся</em>"<br />27.Тарас Прохасько "<em>НепрОсті</em>"<br />28.Тарас Прохасько "<em>З цього можна зробити кілька оповідань</em>"<br />29.Тарас Прохасько "<em>Приватна колекція</em>"<br />30.Ірен Роздобудько "<em>Він: Ранковий прибиральник. Вона: Шості двері</em>"<br />31.Василь Слапчук "<em>Мовчання, адресоване мені</em>"<br />32.Павло Солодько "<em>Четверта революція</em>"<br />33.Дмитро Стус "<em>Василь Стус: життя як творчість</em>"</p></blockquote><br /><p>Tragically, it seems that the list is pretty comprehensive. Tragically, because these books are pretty much it for Ukrainian language publications. I cast my vote. Vote for your choice <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/ukrainian/forum/story/2005/12/051201_books_vote.shtml">here.</a></p><p>Results in January 2006.</p>windownoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1133412176071111112005-11-29T17:33:00.000-05:002005-11-30T23:42:56.133-05:00The Sorry State of Ukrainian Culture<em></em><br />Yuschenko quote in the Washington Post Express (the WP's throw away freebie) on Tuesday:<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/express/pdfs/EXPRESS_11292005.pdf"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/400/yusch%20identity.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />He spoke at hearings which were held on Monday in Ukrainskyi Dim. The hearings deserve more attention than I, unfortunately, can afford just now. But here's a quote from Yuschenko during his closing:<br /><blockquote><p><em>Якщо ми не збагнемо зараз колосально велику майбутню цінність українського слова, традицій, історії, ми можемо втратити все, що потім називається шматком хліба, маслом з бутербродом. Сьогодні держави падають не від того, що полки Муравйова приїжджають з якоїсь території, а від того, що забувають мову, свою культуру, традиції. Це вірний шлях до того, як забути свою державу і кінець кінцем її втратити. Тому безумовно я відніс би політику гуманітарного напрямку до безпекової політики держави, не жартуючи з цим.<br /></em></p><em><blockquote><p><em></em></p></blockquote></em></blockquote>He spoke about the state of Ukrainian cinema, publishing. Find the whole speech in Ukrainian <a href="http://www.president.gov.ua/news/data/print/4509.html">here </a>.windownoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1133068786830197462005-11-26T23:40:00.000-05:002005-11-27T00:38:55.786-05:00Holodomor<span style="font-family:arial;">A little known bit of history in modern Ukraine passed on to me a few years back...<br /><br />Several years ago, when Kuchma was President, Yuschenko was Prime Minister, the Diaspora was commemorating the Holodomor, the US Senate, President Clinton issued Holodomor statements and nothing was forthcoming from the Ukrainian government.<br /><br />A member of the executive board of the <a href="http://ucca.org/">UCCA</a>, Ronya Lozynskyj was in Ukraine. She attempted to get something from the Ukrainian government commemorating this Ukrainian tragedy to no avail. Finally, she called Maryna Ostapenko who was at that time a news anchor on the Inter television network and is currently the spokesperson for the <a href="http://sbu.gov.ua/eng/">SBU, the Security Service of Ukraine</a>. Ostapenko was shocked and angry that nothing was forthcoming from the Ukrainian side. She called Sashko Martynenko, who at the time was Kuchma's press spokesman and is now back with Interfax Ukraine. Martynenko was acutely embarrassed that it seemed that everyone but the Ukrainians themselves cared about this crime against the Ukrainian nation. He placed it on the agenda of the Cabinet of Ministers and at least <em>de jure</em>, Holodomor Remembrance Day was instituted in Ukraine. But of course, we know that beyond that not much more was, in fact, done.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />President Yuschenko has committed to educating the not only the world, but even the Ukrainian people themselves about this dark period in world history. Certainly, national self respect demands that the Holodomor finally be recognized for the genocide that it was. Certainly every child that died, every grandparent who perished, every father who couldn't feed his children, every mother who scoured the fields for a single grain, deserves our heads bowed in acknowledgement and prayer.</span>windownoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1129313039793434632005-10-14T14:05:00.000-04:002005-10-14T14:09:10.616-04:00Recognize UPA<span style="font-family:arial;">Traditionally, on this day, Ukrainians honor those who defended their homeland, the Kozaks, the Ukrainian Sich and today, though as yet unrecognized by the Ukrainian state, the UPA. The Ukrainian Insurgent Army, (Ukrainska povstanska armiia) which is known by its Ukrainian acronym, UPA, was the only military formation to actually fight <em>for Ukraine</em> during the Second World War.<br /><br /></span><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/1600/UPA_dosi_ne_vyznano-small.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Poster calling for the recognition of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army issued by Black Pora - http://kuchmizm.info/weblog/" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/320/UPA_dosi_ne_vyznano-small.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Petro Sodol writes in his introduction to his overview of the history of UPA in the </span><a href="http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/pages/U/K/UkrainianInsurgentArmy.htm"><span style="font-family:arial;">Encyclopedia of Ukraine</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">:<br /><br /></span><blockquote><em><span style="font-family:arial;">Ukrainian Insurgent Army (Ukrainska povstanska armiia [UPA]). A Ukrainian military formation which fought from 1942 to 1949, mostly in Western Ukraine,<br />against the German and Soviet occupational regimes. Its immediate purpose was to protect the Ukrainian population from German and Soviet repression and<br />exploitation; its ultimate goal was an independent and unified Ukrainian state...</span></em></blockquote><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">UPA was demonized by the Soviets and continues to be subjected to defamation and abuse by by anti-Ukrainian political forces. As a result, a large percentage of Ukrainians themselves misunderstand what UPA was and what it means to us today. As Prof. James Mace, the late, eminent Holodomor scholar once noted, "Without UPA and its parent, the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, Ukraine today would be one, huge Byelorus." Nonetheless, to date, Ukraine does not officially recognize its heros, but in fact, allows those few who have survived Siberia, torture and the rest, to continue to be violated.<br /><br />Yushchenko has spoken about "reconciliation" between Red Army veterans and UPA veterans. leading to official recognition of the rights of the "UPisty." It seems odd that veterans of a foreign army, as the Soviet army in fact was, would dicate the decision regarding recognition of the only army that fought for Ukraine during WWII. It is explained only by the failure of the governments of the last 14 years to educate and counter the anti-Ukrainian propaganda which has indoctrinated the population and has lead to what can simply be called "national self-loathing."<br /><br />Yet Ukraine must go about the business of consolitating itself as a state, as a nation. And that probably does mean that some form of reconciliation must be achieved. The US, immediatlty after the Civil War, understood that it needed to unify, it needed to rebuild. The blood of soldiers, both Confederate and Union was still fresh in 1868, yet US national interests demanded reconciliation. And Memorial Day was proclaimed, honoring both the Blues and the Greys.<br /><br />According to </span><a href="http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html"><span style="font-family:arial;">usmemorialday.org</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">:<br /><br /></span><blockquote><p><em><span style="font-family:arial;">Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his </span></em><a href="http://www.usmemorialday.org/order11.html"><em><span style="font-family:arial;">General Order No. 11</span></em></a><em><span style="font-family:arial;">, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.</span></em></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">World War II is fifty years past. Today, Ukraine needs to recognize those heroes who fought for Her, against all odds, against both of the Twentieth Century's most vicious war machines. Alone, without aid, without support and still today, without recognition.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">And with recognition, then perhaps, we can have our own Memorial Day. One that recognizes all the pain, all the suffering, all of our losses. And when that is done, we can go forward and build a Ukraine, free from foreign oppressors, free to decide its own fate.</span></p><p><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">And BTW, if you happen to see one of those veterans of UPA today, give him or her some flowers and say "Thank you."<br /></p></span><p></p>windownoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1129309671196003112005-10-14T13:04:00.000-04:002005-10-14T13:07:51.196-04:00New Political Bloc?The political situation in Ukraine is ripe for comedy. New joke making the rounds:<br /><br />A new political bloc is being formed to face down Tymoshenko's Byut. It's called YuLYa (Yushchenko, Lytvyn, Yanukovych)windownoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1129309365297241182005-10-14T12:45:00.000-04:002005-10-14T13:02:45.363-04:00Piskun Sacked<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/1600/piskun.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Piskun earlier this year by EPA" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7007/344/320/piskun.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">On the RL site:<br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/742745d4-5973-491b-974a-4d46b631b139.html"><span style="font-family:arial;">Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Sacked<br /></span></a><br /><blockquote><p><em><span style="font-family:arial;">(EPA)Kyiv, 14 October 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko today sacked Prosecutor-General Svyatoslav Piskun.<br /><br />Oleh Rybachuk, head of Yushchenko's administration, made the announcement at a press conference in Kyiv. No other details were immediately available. "I can say that we have probably saved Piskun from himself, from opening a criminal case against himself," Rybachuk said. " He has been very excited in recent days, opening so many cases. I think this is a normal, well-timed decision by the president so he [Piskun] doesn't open a case against himself, investigate it in one day and put himself in jail." Piskun had recently started investigations against one of Yushchenko's political allies, Petro Poroshenko, a former high-ranking security official. </span></em></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Lord knows Piskun should have been fired at the onset of Yushchenko's administration. But, is he being fired because he began to go after Poroshenko?</span><br /></p>windownoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6431542.post-1128482220165591362005-10-04T23:11:00.000-04:002005-10-05T13:06:55.126-04:00Yekhanurov in Moscow as Ukraine 'SURRENDERS' to Russia<p><span style="font-family:arial;">AFP is reporting that Russian newspapers, Kommersant specifically, are gleefully announcing that Ukraine is "surrendering" to Russia...</span></p><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Yekhanurov in Moscow as Ukraine 'SURRENDERS' to Russia Oct 4, '05 5:50 PM ET</strong><br /><br />Agence France Presse, Moscow, Russia, Friday, September 30, 2005<br /><br />MOSCOW - Ukraine's new Prime Minister Yury Yekhanurov came to Moscow Friday for talks with officials expected to focus on energy deals as newspapers said "orange revolution" President Viktor Yushchenko had sent his man to Moscow "to surrender" to Russia.<br /><br />Yekhanurov met his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Fradkov, and other senior officials as press reports in both countries said problems with delivery of natural gas from Russia to Ukraine would figure prominently on the agenda.<br /><br />Ukraine has faced mounting difficulties this year in obtaining gas deliveries from Russia, and has signed long-term deals with other ex-Soviet republics to offset plans announced by Russian gas giant Gazprom to set prices for Ukraine at world market rates, effectively tripling the price.<br /><br />"It is anticipated that Yury Yekhanurov will today find new solutions for resolving this problem," the opposition daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta said.<br /><br />In an article headlined "Yekhanurov has come to surrender," the liberal newspaper said the visit to Moscow by Yekhanurov, his first trip outside Ukraine since becoming prime minister earlier this month, confirmed that Yushchenko is doing an about-face and realigning his policy with Moscow.<br /><br />"This means de facto that the leaders of the 'orange revolution' have abandoned their earlier ideals," the daily wrote. "The Yushchenko team has turned back to the principles and methods for conduct of foreign policy that characterized the Kuchma regime."<br /><br />Yushchenko came to power late last year after a bitterly-disputed presidential election in which his opponent to succeed former president Leonid Kuchma was seen as "Moscow's man" in Kiev while Yushchenko, who promised a break from Russia, was cast as the West's favorite son.<br /><br />In a banner six-column, page-one headline, the respected business daily Kommersant stated: "Ukraine Signals Change of Course" and commented in a sub-heading that the "cabinet of Yury Yekhanurov will be pro-Russian."<br /><br />The article said Yekhanurov had made clear his government will defend and advance Russia's political and economic interests.<br /><br />Both Yekhanurov and Yushchenko rose through the ranks of the Soviet bureaucracy.<br /><br />"Finding a common language with his partners in Moscow will obviously not be complicated," Kommersant said. "The new cabinet, in contrast to the previous one, is closely-linked to Russian capital."<br /><br />Yekhanurov is seen in Kiev as a moderate technocrat of unquestioning allegiance to Yushchenko.<br /><br />Prior to being tapped for prime minister, Yekhanurov had served briefly as the head of a regional administration in the heavily-industrialized and strongly pro-Russian east of Ukraine, where he was placed by Yushchenko to soothe hurt feelings after last year's crisis.</span>windownoreply@blogger.com39